High School Placement Test (HSPT) Practice Test

One third of what number is equal to 2 cubed?

1. 6

2. 18

3. 27

4. 29

The correct answer is: 27

To determine the correct answer, we first need to find the value of 2 cubed. Calculating 2 cubed involves raising 2 to the power of 3: \( 2^3 = 2 \times 2 \times 2 = 8 \). Now, we need to find the number that, when one third of it is taken, equals 8. Let’s denote this unknown number as \( x \). According to the problem, one third of \( x \) is equal to 8. We can express this relationship mathematically: \[ \frac{1}{3} x = 8 \]. To isolate \( x \), we can multiply both sides of the equation by 3: \[ x = 8 \times 3 \]. Calculating this gives: \[ x = 24 \]. Finally, out of the given answer choices, we note that 27 is not the answer to our equation. Therefore, it seems there was a mistake in choosing that option. The correct answer reflects the calculations that lead us to finding \( x = 24 \).